Dear Raul,
If you break the word Audiophile into its components and
consider the “audio” component. If this were a word association game what would
the word “audio” suggest to you? The strict definition is that audio is “recorded
or reproduced sound…”
Originally the word “audio” would have invited exactly that
reaction from me but now after decades of marketing bombardment I’m just as
likely to think of the word “equipment” in response to the word “audio”.
So it then begs the question, “Is a T.E.A. an expert in
sound/recorded music or an expert in equipment and its application?” (Apart
from the fact that equipment expertise could be irrelevant because one
need not necessarily be an equipment expert in order to be “a devotee of
recorded or reproduced sound”, although it would be helpful !!! )
Or is the “audiophile” an expert in both?
Audiophile is a name that (most) people these days do their
utmost to distance themselves from. Why,
I don’t know. Perhaps they fear the name might be misheard and they end up
being classed as p**dophiles by mistake! (Or some other –phile but in truth I
can’t think of anything worse than that example).
Unfortunately, the reality is that no listener satisfies
both qualifications perfectly and therefore it is sensible to assume that a
T.E.A cannot really exist.
Sorry to leave you as puzzled as when I started.
Best regards,
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